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Sunday, 6 September 2026
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Sunday, 6 September 2026
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Namibian press · Organization

Rapid Support Forces

Also known as: RSF · RSF fighters

Paramilitary force in Sudan's civil war since April 2023, responsible for atrocities including sexual violence, drone strikes, and war crimes in Darfur.

2025-08-142026-09-06
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What’s been said

Key points drawn from coverage. Tap a point to see the original sentence.

  1. July 2026

  2. New Era

    Rapid Support Forces is recommended to be rejected as parallel government in Sudan

    Source

    “Among its key recommendations, the report calls on the Pan-African Parliament to convene a special session on Sudan, undertake a fact-finding mission to the country, support all peace initiatives, reject the parallel government established by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and condemn external actors accused of prolonging the conflict.”

    Namibia tables roadmap to end Sudan war

  3. The Namibian

    Rapid Support Forces told the BBC was a 'sham trial' that 'does not even deserve a comment'

    Source

    “The Sudan Founding Alliance, which includes the RSF, told the BBC it was "sham trial" that "does not even deserve a comment".”

    Sudan’s paramilitary RSF chief sentenced to death over war crimes

  4. The Namibian

    RSF has previously rejected accusations of war crimes during the conflict

    Source

    “The RSF has not yet directly commented on the verdict, but has previously rejected accusations of war crimes during the conflict.”

    Sudan’s paramilitary RSF chief sentenced to death over war crimes
  5. April 2026

  6. New Era

    Rapid Support Forces is paramilitary force at war with Sudan's army

    Source

    “the war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced more than 11 million, and thrust several areas into hunger and famine.”

    Nearly 700 killed in Sudan drone strikes this year: UN

  7. The Namibian

    Rapid Support Forces imposed a siege on el-Fasher for 18 months

    Source

    “In some ways the silence was almost as deadly as the violence, Suleiman says. He describes it as "a suffocating feeling because I was watching systematic killings through drone strikes and bombs or deadly killing through the tight siege" imposed on el-Fasher by the RSF for 18 months.”

    Three years of messages at once – a chronicle of Sudan's war pours in as trapped reporter's phone turns on

  8. The Namibian

    Rapid Support Forces took over el-Fasher city in October last year

    Source

    “And when the RSF finally took over the city in October last year, "It was like the Day of Judgment on Earth," he says.”

    Three years of messages at once – a chronicle of Sudan's war pours in as trapped reporter's phone turns on

  9. New Era

    Rapid Support Forces has been at war with Sudan's army since April 2023

    Source

    “The paramilitary group, which has been at war with Sudan's army since April 2023, was accused last month by the Sudanese military of launching drone attacks "from inside Ethiopian territory", the first public allegation of Ethiopian involvement in the conflict.”

    Ethiopia army base used to support Sudan paramilitary: report

  10. New Era

    Rapid Support Forces have been at war with Sudan's army since April 2023

    Source

    “The strike on Wednesday comes amid an increase in drone attacks by both Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been at war since April 2023.”

    Sudan drone strike kills 12, including children

  11. New Era

    Rapid Support Forces are using sexual violence as a 'weapon of war' in Darfur to control civilians

    Source

    “Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and allied militias are using sexual violence as a "weapon of war" in Darfur to control civilians, medical charity Doctors Without Borders said yesterday.”

    RSF using sexual violence in Darfur as ‘war weapon’: MSF
  12. March 2026

  13. New Era

    Rapid Support Forces broke a long-running siege in January

    Source

    “where the army in January broke a long-running siege by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).”

    ‘They never leave’ … Sudanese feel hunted by killer drones
World & Region

Namibia leads Pan-African effort to end Sudan conflict

The News

Namibia has tabled a roadmap at the Pan-African Parliament calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, a parliamentary fact-finding mission, and action against foreign interference fuelling the conflict. The recommendations include convening a special PAP session on Sudan, rejecting the parallel government established by the Rapid Support Forces, and condemning external actors prolonging the crisis.

29 July 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 29 July

  1. Namibia leads Pan-African effort to end Sudan conflict

    Namibia has tabled a roadmap at the Pan-African Parliament calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, a parliamentary fact-finding mission, and action against foreign interference fuelling the conflict. The recommendations include convening a special PAP session on Sudan, rejecting the parallel government established by the Rapid Support Forces, and condemning external actors prolonging the crisis.

    29 July 2026 · New Era →

Friday 24 July

  1. Pan-African Parliament Chairperson urges coordinated African action on Sudan

    Phillipus Katamelo, Chairperson of the Pan-African Parliament Committee on Cooperation, International Relations and Conflict Resolution, has called for coordinated African-led efforts to address Sudan's security crisis, warning that its humanitarian consequences and human rights violations cannot be ignored. Joint committees deliberated on the security situation, its humanitarian impact, and the human rights situation in Sudan.

    24 July 2026 · Informanté →

Tuesday 14 July

  1. Sudanese court sentences RSF chief to death for war crimes

    A Sudanese court has sentenced the leader of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and 15 other senior RSF members to death in absentia for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide over atrocities committed in the West Darfur region, including the killing of the state governor and attacks on civilians and schools.

    14 July 2026 · The Namibian →

Wednesday 15 April

  1. Sudan drone strikes kill nearly 700 in early 2024

    The UN aid chief reported that nearly 700 civilians were killed in drone strikes in Sudan in the first three months of 2024, as the three-year civil war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has created what the UN calls the world's largest humanitarian crisis, with over 11 million displaced and nearly 34 million people requiring humanitarian support.

    15 April 2026 · New Era →

  2. Trapped Sudanese journalist breaks silence after three years in besieged city

    Mohamed Suleiman, a journalist trapped in Sudan's el-Fasher for three years by a communications blackout during the civil war, finally reached Port Sudan in January and reconnected with the world. His account documents systematic killings, famine conditions, and the inability of the international community to stop the fighting or provide adequate humanitarian aid.

    15 April 2026 · The Namibian →

Friday 10 April

  1. Yale study finds Ethiopian base supporting Sudan paramilitary forces

    A Yale University research lab's analysis of satellite imagery and open-source data shows that an Ethiopian military base near the Sudanese border is providing support to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has been at war with Sudan's army since April 2023. The researchers identified repeated deliveries of light pickup trucks and heavy weapons to the base that were later observed in RSF operations in Sudan's Blue Nile state, contradicting Ethiopia's denials of involvement in the conflict.

    10 April 2026 · New Era →

  2. Drone strike kills 12 civilians in Sudan's North Darfur

    A drone strike on the paramilitary-controlled town of Kutum in Sudan's North Darfur state has killed 12 civilians, including six children, according to medical sources and local activists. The strike comes amid intensified drone attacks by Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been at war since April 2023.

    10 April 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 1 April

  1. RSF using sexual violence as systematic weapon in Darfur

    Doctors Without Borders reports that Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and allied militias are systematically using sexual violence against civilians in Darfur as a means of control and war weapon. Between January 2024 and November 2025, MSF facilities treated at least 3,396 survivors of sexual violence, 97% of them women and girls, though the organisation warns this figure represents only a fraction of the true scale of atrocities.

    1 April 2026 · New Era →

Tuesday 31 March

  1. Sudanese civilians describe relentless drone strikes in ongoing conflict

    In Sudan's Kordofan region, caught in intense fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, civilians report near-daily drone strikes that have killed hundreds and spread fear, with both sides deploying cheap "kamikaze" drones and advanced strategic weapons supplied by foreign backers. The strikes on markets, hospitals, and homes have driven traders away, caused food shortages, and disrupted aid access in areas already threatened by famine.

    31 March 2026 · New Era →

  2. Sexual violence remains endemic in Sudan's Darfur, MSF report finds

    A new Médecins Sans Frontières report based on 3,396 victims treated across Darfur documents rape and sexual assault as a persistent and defining feature of Sudan's civil war, with non-Arab communities systematically targeted and attacks continuing even in areas away from active conflict.

    31 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 5 March

  1. Sudan's civil war persists despite international peace efforts

    Almost three years into Sudan's conflict between the military-led government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, a recent commercial flight to Khartoum signals potential normalcy, but the underlying causes of the war remain unresolved. Both sides view the conflict as existential, foreign powers continue supplying weapons, and analysts warn that without comprehensive mediation addressing root causes—including demilitarisation, constitutional reform, and accountability for war crimes—the conflict could drag on for decades and potentially splinter the nation.

    5 March 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 26 February

  1. Ethiopia revokes independent news outlet Addis Standard

    Ethiopia's Media Authority revoked the licence of independent online outlet Addis Standard on 24 February, citing violations of media ethics and endangerment of national interests. The action is part of a broader crackdown on press freedom ahead of legislative elections in June, with journalists from Reuters, Deutsche Welle, and BBC also having credentials denied or not renewed in recent months.

    26 February 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 25 February

  1. Drone strikes escalate in Sudan's Kordofan conflict zone

    Sudan's civil war has intensified in the gold and oil-rich Kordofan region, with near-daily drone attacks killing civilians and shaping the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Both sides are accused of strikes on civilian infrastructure, and the fighting threatens to widen into a regional conflict as fighting spreads to the Blue Nile region.

    25 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Tuesday 24 February

  1. Chad closes Sudan border after deadly fighting spreads across frontier

    Chad shut its eastern border with Sudan "until further notice" as a security measure after fighting in the border town of al-Tina killed at least eight people, with authorities citing repeated incursions by Sudanese armed groups and the spread of Sudan's civil war toward Chadian territory. The closure affects nearly a million Sudanese refugees already in Chad and humanitarian access to Sudan, though exemptions for humanitarian reasons may be granted.

    24 February 2026 · The Namibian →

Thursday 12 February

  1. Sudan paramilitary drone strike kills two children at school

    A drone strike blamed on Sudan's Rapid Support Forces killed two children and injured 12 others at a traditional Koranic school in El-Rahad, in the Kordofan region, which has become the fiercest battlefield in the ongoing civil war between the RSF and the regular army since April 2023.

    12 February 2026 · New Era →

Wednesday 11 February

  1. Somalia and Saudi Arabia sign military cooperation agreement

    Somalia's defence minister and his Saudi counterpart signed a military cooperation agreement in Riyadh on Monday, part of broader strategic competition in the Horn of Africa between Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

    11 February 2026 · New Era →

Tuesday 13 January

  1. Sudan's government returns to capital after three-year war

    Sudan's military-led government has returned to Khartoum after nearly three years of operating from Port Sudan following the 2023 civil war outbreak between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The capital, which saw roughly five million residents flee and suffered mass destruction, now faces a lengthy recovery effort as the government pledges to restore electricity, water, healthcare and education services.

    13 January 2026 · The Namibian →

Rapid Support Forces — Namibian press coverage · Namibia Minute